


It's All Forgiven

by supremegreendragon



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Alcohol Abuse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Caring Dad Rick, Family Feels, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Memory Alteration, Mild Language, One-Shot, Possibly OOC, Post s02e04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27927094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supremegreendragon/pseuds/supremegreendragon
Summary: After shooting Mr. PB, Beth is an absolute wreck. She's sure that everyone hates her, especially Rick
Relationships: Rick Sanchez & Beth Smith (Rick and Morty)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	It's All Forgiven

The wine glass in her hand shook so much that it was a wonder she didn’t spill it. Tears and snot pouring from her face, she downed the glass in one gulp, ignoring the sounds of the ambulance that echoed just outside her home. Ignoring that her friend was being taken away to the ER. Trying desperately to ignore that it was all her fault.

She had some very good memories with Mr. PB. And it stung her heart to know they was all real. It stung far worse than when she thought they were fake, that Mr. PB was fake. In a way, she almost wished they had just been fabricated memories from an alien species intent to conquer Earth.

PB…..The one person in her life that she didn’t have any bad memories of…..and she shot him.

_Awful person,_ the voice in her head chanted like an evil song, _Mom would hate you if she saw what you did. The rest of the family hates you now too. They’ll never forgive you. Never. Dad is probably thinking about leaving you again because he knows you’re a psychopath now. PB was his friend, you know? What a horrible person you are._

She poured another wine and drank. Then she poured another. Then another. The numbness in her brain was taking over, but it wasn’t enough. She could still remember the way his blood felt as it splattered on her face. She can remember the smell of the smoking gun when she pulled the trigger. And she could remember the hurt look in PB’s eyes, as if he was silently asking “how could you?”

Beth didn’t know how long she had been lying there with her head resting on the counter. She didn’t _think_ she passed out? It felt more like she had been sobbing with a hot lump of coal in her throat the entire time. That she never had the comfort of losing consciousness. However, by the time she looked at the kitchen clock, she saw that a few hours had already passed.

She glanced around, calmer now, but still a sniffling mess. There was no sign of the family. Perhaps they all went to the hospital to support PB. She wanted to be there with them. But….she didn’t deserve it. She would never deserve his friendship again. And her family would forever hate her.

Beth choked out a sob when she noticed that her bottles were all empty. Now she couldn’t even rely on that. She didn’t care if her head was searing in pain from her hangover. She wanted more booze. She wanted the numbness again. It would be her only friend from now on.

….She vaguely recalled some beer in the fridge. She hated beer. The taste always made her cringe. But right now, anything would do. Stumbling to her feet, she made her way over and pulled it open with a bit of difficulty. As she reached for the can in front of her, a firm grip took hold of her wrist, keeping it in place.

She recognized that hand. She refused to turn around to meet her father’s eye. Dad had been very fond of PB for the longest time. He must be so disgusted with her right now. She couldn’t look into the burning hated she knew must be on face right now. Would he yell at her? Or would it his voice be low and deadly?

“I think you had enough, sweetie,” his voice….sounded soft? Concerned? No….no, it was a trick. Beth knew he hated her. He must!

He pulled her away and shut the fridge door. Beth took in a shaky breath. When he spun her around, as if trying to meet her gaze, she buried her face in his chest instead. Dad didn’t shove her away like she expected. Instead, his arms wrapped around her in a tight hug, and suddenly Beth felt like a nine-year-old girl again.

His soft murmurs tickled her ear, “You were scared for your family. You didn’t know. How could you know? He’ll be okay, Beth. I took a good look at his injuries. He’ll survive. I promise.”

It was the last thing she thought he would be doing right now. Trying to comfort her? Her? The woman who shot one of his most beloved friends?

No, she didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve such a tender moment with her father. She would never again. Beth made a move to pull away, but her Dad sensed her distress, and kept her locked firmly in his hold. She shook like a leaf, letting her pet her hair soothingly, wondering why _he didn’t just hate her._

“I’m a bad person. I’m evil.”

“No. You made a mistake. Considering how many parasites we had, it’s a miracle something like this only happened once.”

“Why…” Beth trembled, “Why are you being so nice? You hate me.”

“I don’t—”

“Don’t lie! You hate me. You all hate me! I saw the way you all looked at me,” Beth shoved herself away from her father, finally looking him in the eye. He looked worn out, but not angry. Sad, but not disgusted. And most of all worried. It only made Beth feel worse, because she knew she didn’t deserve his love, “I’m so thankful that PB will be alright. But still…still I’ll never be able to forgive myself for this. I know none of you will too.”

“What’s there to forgive?” Rick asked calmly. It reminded Beth of when she was a toddler throwing a tantrum, and when Dad stayed calm as he tried to reason with her.

“I shot him, Dad!”

“You thought he was a parasite.”

“And he wasn’t! The whole family saw me shoot him! They will never forgive me. They all hate me now.”

“They don’t hate you.”

Beth choked back another sob. She felt like she was going to start crying all over again. But she was all out of tears, so she can only whimper like a wounded dog.

“You don’t…know that.”

“They’re all in the hospital right now. Watching over old PB. And they’re worried about you too. I told them all that you broke down after what happened to him. That you were too sad to make it. They were very understanding, Beth,” Dad managed a tired smile, “They love you so much, Beth. I love you too.”

His words were like a kiss from an angel landing straight into Beth’s heart. She stared at him in wonder. He may not be the best father in the world, but he was _her_ father. And he was forgiving her. She couldn’t handle the storming emotions surging through every inch of her body.

She fell into a chair behind her, trying to regain her composure. Dad might’ve forgiven her. The family…did they really forgive her? Just like that? How could she ever face them again?

“There’s no going back from this,” she said to herself.

“Says who?” Dad’s words caught her off guard. He sounded so sure of himself. Sound sure that everything would be alright.

Beth stared at him in confusion. How could he be so certain of what he was saying?

“We can’t pretend everything is normal after what I’ve done.”

Dad chuckled, “Sweetie. Did you forget who you’re talking to here?”

Beth shook her head, “They’ll never forget.”

“They already have.”

Once again, Beth found herself speechless. From his pocket, Dad took out a weird looking gun. He had no shortage of those, of course. But this was the first time that Beth had seen this particular one.

“What are you talking about, Dad?”

“You didn’t shoot PB, honey. One of the parasites did,” Dad said as-a-matter-of-factly, “That’s what the family remembers. And it’s what you will remember too.”

Beth opened her mouth to say something, but just then, a flash from Dad’s gun erased her memory. All the sadness of PB’s attack was still fresh in her chest, but all the guilt was gone.

Dad hugged her again, whispering in her ear, “He’ll be okay, Beth. I know you’re upset that one of those bastards shot him. But he’ll be okay.”

Shaking in the embrace, Beth managed a smile at his reassuring words. After all, when had Dad ever been wrong?


End file.
